Effects of excitatory and inhibitory amino acid agonists and antagonists of ventral horn cells in slices of spinal cord isolated from adult rats.
Excitatory amino acid agonists increased the probability of discharge of ventral horn cells in slices of spinal cord isolated from adult rats. The order of potency for the facilitatory action was kainate greater than quisqualate greater than N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) greater than L-glutamate greater than L-aspartate. (+/-)-2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate (2-APV) markedly reduced the facilitatory effects produced by L-aspartate and NMDA, and slightly decreased the effect produced by L-glutamate but did not alter the effect of kainate. Inhibitory amino acid agonists decreased the probability of cell discharge. The order of potency for the inhibitory action was (-)-baclofen greater than muscimol greater than glycine = GABA. The effects produced by glycine, muscimol or GABA and (-)-baclofen were selectively reduced by strychnine, bicuculline and phaclofen, respectively. This type of preparation may be useful for in vitro pharmacological studies on the action of transmitters and drugs on ventral horn cells in the adult spinal cord.
Hirayama
T
T
Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Ono
H
H
Fukuda
H
H
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000870:Anterior Horn Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001418:Baclofen / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009118:Muscimol / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013331:Strychnine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
D000596:Amino Acids; C052329:phaclofen; D009118:Muscimol; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D001418:Baclofen; D013331:Strychnine; D005998:Glycine; D001640:Bicuculline